Morning Aire

1. The Humours of the Joyce Country (2:34)
The Irish air, "An Speic Seoigheach" collected by Edward Bunting at the 1792 Belfast Harp Festival. Celtic harp

2. The Rights of Man (3:16)
An Irish hornpipe named for Thomas Paine's declaration in defense of the French Revolution. We add some pep to it! Celtic harp, guitar, pennywhistle

3. Princess Augusta/ Miss Grant's Reel (2:00)
Two Scottish Melodies from the 18th Century. The first is from the Gow Collection; the second is by William Marshall. Celtic harp

4. Maple Leaf/ Bird In The Bush (3:10)
Two Irish reels, the first by Darach de Brun; the second is traditional. Celtic harp, button accordion

5. Haughs of Cromdale/ Sgian Dubh/ Keep It Up (4:18)
A Scottish set with a popular 400-year-old march commemorating a heroic highland battle; a jig named for the black-handled knife carried in the stocking; and a pipe reel from the Simon Fraser collection of 1874. Celtic harp, fiddle, viola da gamba, guitar

6. Lament For Limerick/ Lochaber No More/ Irish Lamentation(7:43)
A similar tune in variations from Ireland, Scotland and England. "Lament" commemorates a devastating Irish loss to the English in battle. "Lochaber refers to the clearance of Scots from their own lands by the English. "Irish Lamentation" is is the unwittingly ironic transformation by the English of these tragic tunes into a lovely waltz. Celtic harp, fiddle, viola da gamba, guitar

7. Itchy Fingers (2:39)
A contemporary pipe tune from Scotland, played first as a march and then as a reel. Celtic harp, fiddle

8. Fiddler Dance the Light Strathspey/ Mor A Cheannaich/ Trip To Ponca City (3:47)
Sweeping and graceful Scottish dances called strathspeys. "Ponca City" was written by American pianist Michael Briggs. Celtic harp, piano

9. Cro Kintaile (4:00)
The story of a Scottish widow's return to her birthplace to live out her days. Celtic harp, fiddle, viola da gamba

10. Cape Clear/ Monaghan's Jig (5:36)
An Irish air and a traditional Irish jig. Celtic harp, button accordion, concertina, pennywhistle, guitar, bodhran

11. Mabel Kelly (3:30)
A tune by the blind Celtic harper Turlough O'Carolan, written for a patroness. The air recalls, "Lamp loses light when placed beside her/ She is the pearl and being of all Ireland." Celtic harp, viola da gamba

12. Miss Hamilton of Auchincruive/ The Bonnie Lass O' Bon Accord (3:05)
More praise of Celtic women! The first tune is traditional, the second is by beloved fiddler Scott Skinner. Celtic harp

13. Fanny Poer (3:42)
Another tribute by O'Carolan to a County Galway patroness. O'Carolan liked to display his fluency in popular European styles. Celtic harp, fiddle, viola da gamba

14. Tho I Go To My Bed, Little Sleep Do I Get (1:37)
A Scottish tune from the Patrick MacDonald Collection of Highland Airs (1784). We like to speculate on the multiple meanings of this intriguing title. Celtic harp